Title

Parachute Material Type

Problem Scenario

People would like to know what makes the best parachute for safety reasons, for instance military paratroopers or skydivers.

Broad Question

What material makes the best parachute?

Specific Question

Does material type effect descent time?

Hypothesis

The Nylon will make the best parachute because its the lightest material.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:material type

Dependent Variable:descent time

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:Parachute Size,Wind,Rips.

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

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General Plan

The experiment will be held on a high balcony and timed with stopwatch as the parachute falls from the balcony to the ground.

Potential Problems And Solutions

there are many possible problems. One problem is rips and tears in the parachute, It could prevent that if the handler was extra careful making them. Also, another problem would be wind that could change the course of the parachute, It would fix that by dropping them all at the same time. Also by controlling the parachutes and keeping them the same size the wind resistance would be change.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

Safety concerns would be not getting to close to the ledge the parachutes are dropped from.

Experimental Design

Number Of Comparison Categories:

3 different material types for parachutes.

Number of Comparison Samples:

3 tests of each material will be averaged together so find final data.

Number Of Observation In Each Sample:

each material will be tested 3 times.

When data will be collected

Descent time will be the data collected.

Where will data be collected?:

In the Courtyard from a high balcony.

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
Nylon	1 foot	Walmart	0.99$
cotton	1 foot	Walmart	1.00$
Canvas	1 foot	Walmart	0.75$
rope	3 feet	walmart	1.98$

Detailed Procedure

1. The Parachutes will all be constructed the same size. 2. The parachutes will be dropped from a high balcony and timed on how long it takes for them to reach the ground. 3. average all three trials together to find the average for that material.

Diagram

Photo List

(see Photos)

Time Line

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Data Table

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Data Analysis

All Raw Data

(See Data Table)

Graphs

Photos

Canvas parachute Nylon Parachute Cotton Parachute

Results

The Experiment tested was, what material makes the best parachute? Nylon was the best at its best being 2.75 seconds of descent time,and it opened quicker than the rest and was the most air resistant. Then it was Canvas as second at 2.39 seconds of descent time,However it seemed to open the slowest. Then the worst of the three was Cotton was last at 2.1 seconds of descent time,but it was the heaviest material. .

Conclusion

The hypothesis of this experiment was that nylon would be the best material for the parachute. Nylon was In fact, the best with its average descent time at 2.283 seconds. Nylon was the most air resistant which caused it to have the best descent time. Therefore the hypothesis has been proved to be correct.

Discussion

The data had a few trends. The major trend was that the third trial was the worst time, Probably because the third trial usally opened a bit slower than the other ones. The Relationship was very strong because the materials varied but they were all gradually changing. Yes, The Experiment was answered. The potential error was that the parachutes did not open properly, therefore they could ave messed up the data. To improve the experiment more types of material could be used or Larger sizes and heavier weights used to make it more realistic in the use for humans.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

In the future this research could be expanded upon to help with future advances in para-trooping and skydiving safety.

Background Research

A parachute is advice that slows movement of a person or object as it drops from heights. Usually they are used from high altitudes. The first parachute design was by Leonardo Di Vinci and it was cone shaped.In China there Umbrella like parachutes used for entertainment. Parachutes were originally made from canvas, however now nylon is used. Nylon is better because it is ,or air resistant an less expensive. The word Parachute can be translated to Protect against fall.


References
"How Products Are Made." How Parachute Is Made. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

"Parachute." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

Abstract

Does material type effect descent time? Nylon will be the best material. Nylon was the best having its average be 2.283 seconds of descent time. The first parachute design was by Leonardo Di Vinci. "parachute" can be translated from Latin and French as "protect against fall". The descent time data has a few trends in the outcome. The biggest trend was that the third parachute had the worst descent time.